Board splits on emergency contracting: resolution declaring homeless shelter emergency passes; office-space emergency at 440 Turk continued

The Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12 considered two related emergency items aimed at accelerating the city’s response to homelessness.

Item 57, “a resolution to declare a homeless shelter emergency,” authorizes the director of public works to construct, improve or repair facilities under Administrative Code §6.6(A) and authorizes the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to contract for shelter and related services. After several hours of public testimony and debate among supervisors, the measure passed the board by a 9–1 vote (Supervisor Cohen cast the lone no).

By contrast, Item 56 — a separate resolution invoking emergency authority to accelerate tenant improvements and an “access point” at 440 Turk Street that would house HSH offices and limited on-site services (showers, laundry, brief access to staff) — drew sustained objection from District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim and others concerned about the process and neighborhood outreach. Supervisor Kim moved to continue Item 56 to the Jan. 9, 2018 meeting and the motion carried unanimously (10–0), delaying the proposed emergency procurement for the Turk Street build-out.

What the measures would do: Supporters said the emergency authority allows the city to bypass a multi-step design-bid-build procurement and run design and construction in parallel, which Department of Public Works (DPW) staff estimated would shave 7–13 months from a typical schedule. DPW told the board it could mobilize as early as Jan. 12 and could open the facility “within six months” if the board adopted the emergency process. HSH Director Jeff Kositsky said centralizing access points is a critical part of coordinated entry and argued that opening sites and navigation centers quickly is essential given tens of thousands of residents experiencing housing instability.

Why colleagues disagreed: Supervisors who sought a continuance raised process objections: the item was presented with limited neighborhood notice, the Turk site is in Supervisor Kim’s district and constituents said they learned about the plan only days earlier, and the community report documenting outreach was incomplete in their view. Other supervisors argued the scale of the homelessness crisis constitutes an emergency and urged rapid action. Some raised concern over the sole-source, design-build procurement that emergency declarations permit and urged better advance planning to avoid repeated “emergency” declarations.

Key votes and next steps: Item 56 was continued to the Jan. 9, 2018 board meeting after Supervisor Kim’s motion to continue passed on a roll-call vote (10 ayes). Item 57 was adopted on a roll-call vote, 9 ayes and 1 no (Supervisor Cohen opposed); the resolution includes a sunset provision and language tying the emergency status to a later permanent ordinance or a Feb. 15, 2018 sunset. HSH and DPW were asked to return with more detailed plans and a community engagement schedule for 440 Turk during the continuance.

Provenance: The transcript records sustained debate, department presentations (DPW’s Edgar Lopez and HSH’s Jeff Kositsky), and multiple public speakers; DPW estimated 7–13 months saved by using emergency procedures and said design-build would allow early mobilization in January.